Small Production Wines We Love

2011 Syrah

Varietal: 100% Syrah

Production: 90 cases, 60 magnums

Viti/Vini: 2011 was an extremely challenging vintage. Rain caused a rapid decline in grape health and a fast spread of disease. We lost most of our fruit and unfortunately had to make the decision not to bottle Pinot Noir or Cabernet Franc as it did not meet our expectations of quality. But our Syrah is a different story. After deciding to use our 2010 Syrah in our Red Table Wine, we worked closely with our grower to manage the vineyard in a way that we thought would really help make those stereotypical Syrah components to the forefront. And it worked. One of our key components was to reduce yields, which we did quite drastically. This allowed us to really have control of what little fruit remained. Even in this rather rainy and wet vintage, we were able to harvest fruit with strong, thick skins and amazing concentration and focus. Hand-harvested and hand-sorted before manual crushing with 100% whole cluster fermentation. Spontaneous ferment, with no additions or additives, and no SO2 until malolactic finished. After basket pressing and a short settling, the wine was aged in neutral 225 liter French oak for 24 months.

Tasting Note: This wine screams Syrah. Black pepper, green olive, leather, blackberries, plum, currant, smoke, meat and bacon. It’s all there. And on the palate, it is lively, defined, fresh, and almost briny.